LAS VEGAS — With the run she’s having, how could Taylor Swift be on anything other than the winning side?
She embraced boyfriend Travis Kelce and locked lips on the field at Allegiant Stadium after his Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58.
Moments earlier, she smiled with her eyes looking misty from tears as she stood next to Kelce’s mother while he held aloft the Lombardi trophy, shouting “Chiefs nation!” and bellowing a chorus of “Viva Las Vegas.”
Minutes before that, she was smothered by celebrity suite mates, who at various points in the game included Blake Lively, Ice Spice and Lana Del Rey, when the Chiefs scored the winning touchdown in overtime, set up by a key first down from Kelce.
It was the second straight Super Bowl win for the Chiefs, but the first since Swift became fan-in-chief when she and Kelce began dating shortly before the season started.
It completes an epic stretch in an epic year for Swift, who won album of the year a week ago for a record fourth time at the Grammys, where she also announced a new album dropping in April before jetting off to Tokyo for a series of stadium shows.
Hours earlier, soon after flying halfway back around the world to get to the game, she strolled into the stadium surrounded by famous friends. She cuddled with Lively during Post Malone’s performance of “America the Beautiful” and won what appeared to be a beer chugging contest, slamming her cup down to an appreciative roar from the fans.
Swift completed her trip from the Tokyo Dome to the game, walking through security along with Lively, Ice Spice and her mom, Andrea Swift. She later was spotted talking to Kelce’s brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in one of the private boxes that reportedly cost more than $1 million. Del Rey joined the celeb-packed suite in time to catch Usher’s halftime show.
Swift flew on a private plane across nine time zones and the international date line from the last of four shows at the Tokyo Dome in Japan to arrive about two hours before kickoff. The time change allowed her to land in Los Angeles and make the final hop to Las Vegas.
The 14-time Grammy winner walked in wearing a black outfit with a red jacket slung over her shoulder, apparently getting the memo from Kelce and many of the Chiefs. He wore a shimmering black suit, quarterback Patrick Mahomes wore a sharp black suit of his own, and even Chiefs coach Andy Reid wore a black blazer as the Chiefs leaned into the role of the villains.
“Anti-Hero” also happens to be the lead single from Swift’s Grammy-winning album, “Midnights.”
Subscribe to our free Top 5 things to do newsletter
Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.
“She’s unbelievable. She’s rewriting the history books herself,” Kelce said a day after last Sunday’s Grammys. “I told her I’ll have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home with hardware, too.”
Swift began dating Kelce after he said on his “New Heights” podcast that he had tried and failed to give her a friendship bracelet during her performance at Arrowhead Stadium. Kelce then invited her to watch him perform at the home of the Chiefs, and she surprisingly showed up for their Week 2 game against Chicago.
Swift soon became a regular at games, both home and away, frequently sitting with Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Swift occasionally brought along friends, including Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
“Having Taylor as a new Chiefs fan is very unique,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said during Super Bowl week. “I don’t ever do an interview without someone asking me about it. I think a lot of players and coaches on the team are in the same boat. The most important thing is we’re happy for the two of them that they have found each other and have such a special relationship.”
There was plenty of star power besides Swift for the NFL’s marquee night. Usher’s halftime show included guest performers Alicia Keys, Ludacris and Lil Jon. Reba McEntire sang the national anthem. Beyoncé, who was also at the game, had a commercial air and dropped a pair of new songs in the second half.
Few were to be under a brighter spotlight than Swift, though. Her dash from the Tokyo Dome, where she promised fans that “we’re all gonna go on a great adventure,” had Swifties around the world watching online flight trackers, while her boyfriend seemed to get as many questions about his relationship as the game during the run-up to kickoff.
Asked to explain the intense interest, Kelce replied: “I think the values we stand for and just who we are as people — we love to shine light on others, shine light on the people that help and support us, and on top of that, I think we both just love life.”
Kelce and Swift won’t have a whole lot of time together to celebrate. She is due back across the Pacific later this week. The international leg of her Eras Tour resumes Friday night in Australia with the first of three shows at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“This week is truly the best kind of chaos,” she posted Wednesday on Instagram.
By DAVE SKRETTA, Associated Press
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Our teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting.
The Tampa Bay Times e-Newspaper is a digital replica of the printed paper seven days a week that is available to read on desktop, mobile, and our app for subscribers only. To enjoy the e-Newspaper every day, please subscribe.
